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Home , Anathema, Arnold of Brescia, Assumption of Mary, Cathedra, Christian literature, College of Cardinals

May 20, 2018 Events of the

Protestants and Roman Catholics agree on first 5 centuries. What changed? Why did some in the want reform by the 16th century?

Outline

Why the Reformation? 1. Church becomes powerful institution. 2. Additional teaching and practices were added. 3. People begin questioning the Church. 4. ’s protest.

Part 1 – Church Becomes Powerful Institution

Evidence of ’s power grab • In 2nd century we see over regions; people looked to them for guidance. • Around 195AD there was dispute over which day to celebrate (14th Nissan vs. Sunday) • said 14th Nissan, but now Victor ( of Rome) liked Sunday. • A council was convened to decide, and they decided on Sunday. • But bishops of continued the Passover on 14th Nissan. • wrote what happened next:

“Thereupon Victor, who presided over the church at Rome, immediately attempted to cut off from the common unity the parishes of all Asia, with the churches that agreed with them, as heterodox [heretics]; and he wrote letters and declared all the brethren there wholly excommunicate.” (Eus., Hist. eccl. 5.24.9)

Everyone started looking to Rome to settle disputes • Rome was always ending up on the winning side in their handling of controversial topics. 1

• So through a combination of the fact that Rome was the most important city in the ancient world and its bishop was always right doctrinally then everyone started looking to Rome. • So Rome took that power and developed it into the Roman Church by the 600s.

Church granted power to rule • Constantine gave the power to rule over , , and . • At least that’s what the “ of Constantine” said. • But this document was shown to be a forgery from the 8th century. • For hundreds of years people thought it was genuine. • Used by the church to support right to rule over secular powers. • Eventually church could even punish heretics (Office of , 12th c.) with torture, being burned at the stake.

Rise of Sacramentalism • seen as necessary for . • External grace conferred to receiver through them (regardless of heart). • be administered only through priests (). • In this way, salvation was institutionalized. • No salvation apart from sacraments which can only be distributed through the church.

Removal of scriptural checks & balances • Church commissioned to translate the in (4th c.). • was “Latin of the common, people” (Latin Vulgate). • Became the Bible of the Church. • Problem was fewer people could read it as Latin disappeared.

In 1229 the Council of Toulouse: [the church] “forbids the to have in their possession any copy of the books of the Old and , except the Psalter, and such portions of them as are contained in the Breviary, or the Hours of the ; and most strictly forbids these works in the vulgar tongue.” (14th )

In 1242 the Council of Tarracone said all non-Latin must be burned: “We also that no one shall keep the books of the Old or New Testament in the Roman tongue; and should anyone be in possession of such books, he must deliver them up to the bishop of the place TO BE BURNED, within eight days after the publication of this article, and unless he do this, be he a priest or a layman, he shall be suspected of until 2

he shall have cleared himself.” (Giessler’s Text Book of Ecc. History, Vol 2, p. 392)

• Note: reading our Bible is an extremely important privilege!

Part 2 – Additional Teaching and Practices Were Added

Protestants are concerned with Roman Catholic that’s been added over the years.

What is “Dogma?”

dog·ma Definition: a principle laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.

Where does it come from? • Dogma is declared through a council or when the pope speaks ex (“from the chair”). • Anyone rejecting Church dogma is under “” (condemnation and/or ).

A quick survey of the councils to see we’re concerned about…

Survey of Dogma from Church Councils

1. The First Council of Nicea (325) • is divine, of the same nature as the Father. • Bishops should only be appointed by other bishops. • Bishops have jurisdiction over their own geographical areas.

2. The First Council of Constantinople (381) • Convened by Emperor to unite the church. • Proclaimed of the . • and paganism were forbidden.

3. The Council of (431) • Christ was one person with 2 natures: fully human and fully divine (condemned ). • Said Mary was the “God-bearer” or “the mother of God” (Θεοτόκος) • This doesn’t mean Mary is God, but that baby was fully God even in the womb (Jesus did not later become God at the ).

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4. The Council of (451) • Reaffirmed three previous councils. • Reaffirmed Christ has 2 natures (not one mixed one like Eutychians/monophysites were teaching) • Said Constantinople (the “”) has equal privileges (in power) as the old imperial Rome.

Protestants begin to disagree with dogma from these…

5. The Second Council of Constantinople (553) • Perpetual virginity of Mary This says Mary was always a virgin—not just before but even after Jesus was born. Mary had no relations in her marriage and no other children besides Jesus (children mentioned in Mk 6:3 and Mt 13:55-56 were from a previous marriage of , cousins or close to the family.) • Condemned heretical views about Christ’s nature: , Nestorianism, , and (we agree).

6. The Third Council of Constantinople (680) • Christ had two wills: a human will and divine will (not one like monothelites). • A pope (Honorius I) was condemned (how an infallible pope can err is a real challenge for Roman Catholic apologetics today)

7. The Second Council of Nicea (787) • Addressed controversy called the iconoclastic controversy. Some (like the Emperor!) were saying it was wrong to venerate and images of Jesus, the , etc. Conclusion was we must venerate images. • Encouraged to Mary.

Example #1 – they said we must venerate images: “…receiving their holy and honourable relics with all honour, I salute and venerate these with honour, hoping to have a share in their holiness. Likewise also images of the of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the humanity he assumed for our salvation; and of our spotless Lady, the holy Mother of God; and of the like God; and of the holy Apostles, , Martyrs, and of all the Saints — the sacred images of all these, I salute and venerate…” (2 Nicea, Session 1)

No room for disagreement if that makes a person uncomfortable: “Anathema to those who apply the words of Holy Scripture which were spoken against idols, to the venerable images. Anathema to those who do not salute the holy and venerable images.” (2 Nicea)

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Meaning of “anathema” is given: “…if anyone does not so believe, but undertakes to debate the matter further… such an one our holy (fortified by the inward working of the Spirit of God, and by the traditions of the Fathers and of the Church) anathematizes. Now anathema is nothing less than complete separation from God.” (The Letter of the to the Emperor and Empress)

Example #2 – prayer to Mary encouraged: “If anyone shall not confess the Holy Ever-Virgin Mary, truly and properly the Mother of God, to be higher than every creature whether visible or invisible, and does not with sincere seek her intercessions as of one having confidence in her access to our God, since she bore him, let him be anathema.” (2 Nicea, 15)

Eastern Orthodox begin to disagree with dogma from these…

8. The Fourth Council of Constantinople (869) • Last council called by an emperor. • Some were challenging the clause of Nicene which said the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father “and the Son” (called the filioque).

9. The First (1123) • First council called by a pope (Lateran means held in the in Rome). • Made it so secular laypeople could not interfere with election of bishops and . • Emperors could no longer influence papal elections.

10. The Second Lateran Council (1139) • Addressed the problem of two elected by different groups of cardinals (had to depose one). • of priests and (1139 marriages declared invalid). • Condemned a reformer named Arnold of . • Arnold was a reformer. • Taught people could confess to fellow believers (not required to confess to priests). • He was also upset by wealth of the church.

11. The Third Lateran Council (1179) • Only could elect pope (required a two-thirds majority) • Outlawed – the selling of church office or spiritual privilege (widespread in 9th/10th c.)

The following is a key turning point in development of Roman Catholicism…

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12. The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) • of . • Primacy of Roman bishop. • Dogma of the seven sacraments. • Creation of Office of Inquisitors (even allowing torture).

13. The First Council of (1245) • Addressed moral decadence in . • Addressed Great with East.

14. The Second Council of Lyons (1274) • Failed attempt to unite with Eastern Church

15. The (1311–1312) • Addressed immorality with Templars (a military order of the Church).

16. The (1413–1418) • Failed attempt to unite with Eastern Church. • Addressed problem of 3 simultaneous popes by deposing all and installing new one. • Condemned teachings of (1324-1384) • Denounced luxury of church. • Wanted to translate Bible into language of the people. • Attacked papacy, of saints, sacraments, transubstantiation and monasticism. • Burned John Hus (1372-1415) at the stake. • Had similar beliefs as Wycliffe. • Hus denounced moral failings of clergy, bishops, papacy. • Spoke against .

17. The Council of Basel-Ferrara-Florence (1431–1445) • Another failed attempt to unite with Eastern Church

18. The Fifth Lateran Council (1513) • Addressed few minor reforms • But did not address big issues concerned about.

October 31, 1517 - Martin Luther posted Ninety-five Theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg

19. The (1545–1563) - Reaction to Protestant Reformation • Church tradition equal to Scripture. • Re-affirmed the seven sacraments. 6

• Re-affirmed transubstantiation • Good works necessary for salvation • • Indulgences • Veneration of saints and images • to dead saints • Canonicity of 11 apocryphal books

1854 – Pope declared ex cathedra the dogma of the of Mary. • Mary was born without sin.

20. The (1870) • Denounced , and pantheism. • when Pope speaks ex cathedra. • Mary as co-redemptrix discussed but not made dogma.

1950 – Pope declared ex cathedra the dogma of the into . • Mary’s body was taken up to heaven at the end of her life • Does not say whether she physically died or not.

21. The (1962–1965) • Allowed in local languages (not Latin). • Ecumenical. • No longer called Protestants “heretics” but “separated brethren.” • Accepted salvation of sincere non-.

Part 3 – People Begin Questioning the Church

Top 3 factors that led to questioning the church’s authority.

Rise of nation states • Countries breaking up into principalities, states in 15th/16th century. • 300 princes in Germany wanted freedom; didn’t want to recognize authority of the pope.

Humanism • Emphasis put back on the individual person. • Critical thinking put over dogma of the church. • Desiderius of Rotterdam (c. 1469-1536). • Believed personal Bible reading transformed readers. • First to publish Greek New Testament. • Wanted return to writings of the Bible and early . 7

• Return to the biblical sources. • People began to realize there were errors in the Vulgate . • Church practices were shown to be based on faulty translation. 3 examples: (1) Eph. 5:31-2 said marriage is in Vulgate but mystery in Greek; (2) Matt 4:17 said to “do ” but Greek says “repent”; (3) In Luke 1:28 said Mary was “full of grace” but Greek meant “favored one” and there’s no idea that she’s a reservoir full of grace (gratia plena).

Printing press • Middle of 15th c. just before great Protestant Reformers • Enabled people to have in their hands.

Part 4 – Martin Luther’s Protest

Luther’s Story • Martin Luther was commissioned to teach through the books of Romans, Galatians and Hebrews • As he studied, he discovered the biblical teaching of by faith. • Took a trip to Rome and became upset with the luxurious lifestyles of pope, cardinals and bishops. • The pope wanted to sell indulgences to help fund a building project. • Luther wondered why the pope was asking for more money when he already had so much. • He nailed the Ninety-five Theses on Wittenberg church door to protest sale of these indulgences. • This began his formal protest of the Roman abuses.

Some additional objections • Rejected sacramentalism. Affirmed forensic justification (salvation is an act of faith). • Rejected auricular confession (confession to a priest), saying that biblically people are supposed to confess to their fellow brothers. • Rejected authority of the pope. He went so far as to say that the primary problem with the RCC is the pope’s desire for opulence and luxury • Rejected all sacraments except two: baptism and ’s Supper. • There must be an element of faith on the part of the once receiving these two sacraments. • With the Lord’s Supper he rejected transubstantiation but did hold to (the idea that Christ is somehow “under” the elements but that they’re not transformed into Christ). • Rejected ordination of priests (idea of priestly class).

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Bibliography

Brannan, Rick. tran. The in English. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012. Bettenson, Henry. Documents of the Christian Church. OUP Oxford. Kindle Edition. Eusebius of Caesaria, “The Church History of Eusebius,” in Eusebius: Church History, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, trans. Arthur Cushman McGiffert, vol. 1, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series (New York: Company, 1890). Geisler, Norman L. Systematic : Volume Four: Church, Last Things. Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany House, 2002. Geisler, Norman L., and Ralph E. MacKenzie. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1995. Grudem, Wayne. : An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004. New . “Second Council of Nicæa.” Accessed May 17, 2018. http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3819.htm. Strong, James and M’Clintock, John. “Bible, Use of by the Laity,” Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1880. Theopedia, s.v. “Apostolic Fathers,” https://www.theopedia.com/apostolic-fathers (accessed May 12, 2018). Wikipedia, s.v. “Catholic ecumenical councils,” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_ecumenical_councils. Wikipedia, s.v. “Dogma in the Catholic Church,” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogma_in_the_Catholic_Church. Wikipedia, s.v. “,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartodecimanism.

Class Schedule

Overview of Church History

May 13: Early Fathers, Theologians and Councils May 20: Events of the Reformation May 27: Shared Beliefs between Roman Catholics and Protestants Jun. 3: Overview of Key Differences Jun. 10: Origin of Denominations Since the Reformation

If you know somebody who would be blessed by this class, feel free to invite them; visitors welcome at any time!

Where: Sundays second service (10:45AM) in the upstairs chapel building room C-205B

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